Most Rapid Altitude Change Ever Accomplished By A Nano-Satellite.
A Small-Sat With Altitude
EchoStar Global 3 is a 12U form factor designed, built, integrated, and operated by Terran Orbital Corporation on behalf of EchoStar Corporation. Pursuant to Australian authorization and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) filings for the SIRION-1 network, the EG System is licensed to provide MSS on S-band frequencies at 2000-2020 MHz (uplink) and 2180-2200 MHz (downlink). The System will have a constellation of approximately 28 satellites in low Earth orbit.
EG3 builds on Terran Orbital’s Renegade spacecraft platform, providing robust heritage and flexibility to the mission. The primary propulsion system comes from a hydrazine mono-propellant system built by Stellar Exploration Inc of SLO, California.
The successful orbit placement of EchoStar Global 3 is a premiere example of the innovation and flexibility of small satellites. The stationing trajectory included the furthest and most rapid altitude change ever accomplished by a nanosatellite. It also included a 1.5-degree inclination change to place the satellite at the exact altitude and inclination required for its mission.
Nation
USA
Application
S-Band Internet Of Things
Operator
Terran Orbital
Configuration
12U Satellite
Launch Date
June 30, 2021
Launch Vehicle
Space X Falcon-9
Mission Length
N/A
Mission Completion
N/A
Space X Falcon-9
Falcon 9 is a rocket that can carry cargo and humans into Earth’s orbit, even reaching the International Space Station (ISS). It is produced by American aerospace company SpaceX. Technically, it is a partially reusable, medium lift launch vehicle.
The rocket has two stages. The first (booster) stage carries the second stage and payload to a certain altitude, after which the second stage lifts the payload to its ultimate destination. The rocket evolved through several versions. V1.0 flew from 2010–2013, V1.1 flew from 2013–2016, while V1.2 Full Thrust first launched in 2015, encompassing the Block 5 Full Thrust variant, flying since May 2018.
The booster is capable of landing vertically to facilitate reuse. This feat was first achieved on flight 20 in December 2015. Since then, SpaceX has successfully landed boosters over 100 times. Individual boosters have flown as many as thirteen flights. Both stages are powered by SpaceX Merlin engines, using cryogenic liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) as propellants.
The heaviest payloads flown to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) were Intelsat 35e carrying 6,761 kg (14,905 lb), and Telstar 19V with 7,075 kg (15,598 lb). The former was launched into an advantageous super-synchronous transfer orbit, while the latter achieved a lower-energy GTO achieving an apogee well below the geostationary altitude.